


the best kind of friends

by CrayolaRainbow



Category: The Bright Sessions (Podcast), The Infinite Noise - Lauren Shippen
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, College era, Developing Relationship, Light Angst, M/M, Not Beta Read, OT3, Surprise Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22339795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrayolaRainbow/pseuds/CrayolaRainbow
Summary: Ryan’s sitting in the passenger seat next to Caleb. Adam’s right behind him and Caitlin is sitting behind Caleb. They’re playing some game Caitlin saw on TikTok, pointing at the next person, round and round until the bass drops. Whoever the poor bastard was that got landed on when that happened would have to call their crush.Ryan doesnotwant to be here. Sitting between both his crushes with his ex in the back seat? A great time all around. Caleb and Adam would call each other for sure, and Caitlin gave no fucks about calling her crush, whoever that was.
Relationships: Adam Hayes/Caleb Michaels, Adam Hayes/Caleb Michaels/Ryan (Infinite Noise), Chloe Turner/Caitlin Park
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	the best kind of friends

**Author's Note:**

> Shows up 24 hours late with fic
> 
> OK this took me longer than my ambitious hour I gave myself yesterday, but whatever.
> 
> Title from "In The Middle" by dodie for reasons that will soon become obvious.
> 
> Loosely based off of [this TikTok](https://the-emerald7.tumblr.com/post/190351508545) that's been going round tumblr.

The music plays softly in the background over Caleb’s car’s shitty speakers. You’d think a guy with a relationship so tied to music would have a better sound system in his car, but no.

Ryan’s sitting in the passenger seat next to Caleb. Adam’s right behind him and Caitlin is sitting behind Caleb. They’re playing some game Caitlin saw on TikTok, pointing at the next person, round and round until the bass drops. Whoever the poor bastard was that got landed on when that happened would have to call their crush.

Ryan does _not_ want to be here. Sitting between both his crushes with his ex in the back seat? A great time all around. Caleb and Adam would call each other for sure, and Caitlin gave no fucks about calling her crush, whoever that was.

Ryan’s heart beats faster and faster as the tapping beat of “In the middle” by dodie plays. He flicks his hand towards Caleb as soon as he sees Adam’s hand show up over the back of the seat in his peripheral vision.

Round and round it goes as the song gets closer and closer to the vocals coming in. 9 seconds of his heart beating faster and faster. 

Caleb, Caitlin, Adam, Ryan. Caleb, Caitlin, Adam, Ryan. CalebCaitlinAdamRyan.

 _“What are you doing Friday?”_ dodie sings and Ryan looks around the car to see who’s been picked.

It’s Caitlin.

“Dammit,” she says quietly.

Adam grins, and Ryan catches himself wishing Adam was smiling at _him_ instead. “Who you gonna call?” He asks as Caleb shuts off the music.

Caitlin sighs and pulls out her phone. “Well, not the ghostbusters, that’s for sure.”

Adam clicks his tongue. “Shame,” he says, shaking his head.

“Put them on speaker phone!” Caleb says. “I wanna know who it is.”

“No, I’m not gonna put them on speaker phone,” Caitlin says. “You guys don’t know how to keep quiet.”

“Awwww, come on,” Caleb wines. “Pleeeease?”

 _“No,”_ Caitlin says as she unlocks her phone and scrolls through her contacts.

“But how will we know?” Ryan jumps in.

Caleb flashes him a grin and Ryan’s heart definitely does _not_ skip a beat.

“Look, I’ll use their name, happy?” Caitlin asks.

Adam reaches over and squeezes Caleb’s shoulder and pats Ryan’s shoulder with the other hand.

Ryan might explode.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Adam says. “Now make the call, no chickening out.”

 _”Fine.”_ Caitlin sighs and puts the phone up to her ear.

Ryan can faintly hear the sound of her phone dialing before there's a click as the person on the other side picks up. He can’t hear what they say, but then Caitlin says: “Hey, Chloe.”

Ryan almost misses what she says next in the clamor.

“WHA-,” Caleb starts to shriek before Ryan slaps his hand over Caleb’s mouth. Adam’s got his own hands over his mouth and Caitlin’s batting at his arm and looking angry.

“What the _fuck_ ” Adam whisper shouts into his hands.

“What are you doing this Friday?” Caitlin asks, voice bright and cheerful like the car hadn’t just descended into chaos.

Caleb licks Ryan’s hand.

“Eugh, gross dude, that’s fucking disgusting, what the fuck Michaels” Ryan complains, ignoring the blush he can feel on the back of his neck and the tips of his ears. He wipes his hand on Caleb’s jeans. (Nice going, Tran. Smart move.)

“How did I not notice?” Caleb whispers to himself. He grabs his head and then looks at his hands. His brow is furrowed in confusion and frustration and Ryan wants to kiss the spot between his eyebrows.

Fuck, he’s not gonna survive today.

“Cool, do you want to go out on a date?” Caitlin asks Chloe.

There's a pause, before: “Great, I’ll text you later and we can figure out the details. Bye!”

Caitlin hangs the phone up and the car explodes.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” Caleb screeches. “How the fuck did I not know?? You and Chloe??? _Really??_ ”

Caitlin shrugs. “I think she’s cute.”

Caleb’s mouth opens and shuts like a goldfish.

Ryan does not think about kissing it.

Adam hugs Caitlin. “Congrats!”

Ryan sighs and rests his head on the window, ignoring the urge to hug (and kiss and kiss and more) Adam. Caleb gives him a funny look but Ryan just waves him off. How is he supposed to explain to his crush’s boyfriend that he has a crush on both of them but is never ever going to act on it.

Caitlin pulls away from the hug. “Thanks,” she says, beaming. “Shall we go again?”

Ryan sits bolt upright. “What?” he squeaks. In a very manly sort of way.

“Yeah, let’s!” Caleb says quickly.

Caleb and Adam share a weird look that Ryan can’t decipher before Adam shrugs.

“I’m down. What about you, Ryan?”

Adam smiles at him and Ryan crumples inside. Fuck, he’s weak.

“Yeah, okay.”

Caleb smiles and pulls out his phone to start the music again. His leg is bouncing a mile a minute, probably from excitement.

“I’ll start this time,” Caitlin says.

Ryan’s heart starts beating faster. Caleb starts the song over and Ryan tenses up. The tapping clicking beat feels like it’s going on forever. Ryan isn’t breathing.

Caitlin, Adam, Ryan, Caleb. Caitlin, Adam, Ryan, Caleb. CaitlinAdamRyanCaleb.

The lyrics start and Ryan’s heart stops. He looks around the car to see who’s turn it is, before looking down at his own hand, pointing at Caleb.

Ah.

Fun.

Caleb pauses the music and laughs nervously.

What the fuck does Michaels have to be nervous about? His boyfriend of 4 years is sitting right there.

“Right,” Caleb says, scrolling through his phone. “One sec.” Caleb bites his lip and looks over towards Adam. Ryan leans back against the window, getting out of the way in case Caleb and Adam decide to do a dramatic kiss, or whatever.

Caleb puts the phone to his ear, and Ryan preps himself to hear ABBA singing “Super Trouper”

Instead, though, he hears _“The boys are back, the boys are back”_

That’s _his_ phone.

What.

The.

Fuck.

“What? Michaels, I think you called the wrong person here.” Ryan’s aiming for teasing, but his voice is too high. He just sounds desperate. He’s sitting bolt upright, looking between Caleb and Adam, trying to find out what the _fuck_ is going on.

Fuck fuck fuck.

Be cool.

“No, I called the right person.” Caleb’s smiling, like he didn’t just admit to liking another man _in front of his boyfriend._

“But you- but Adam-”

“Adam is very okay with it,” Adam says, smiling kindly.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean!?” Ryan shouts, throwing his hands in the air. He whacks the ceiling of the car but he hardly notices. They could be floating to Mars right now and he wouldn’t care.

“Oh for fucks sake.”

Adam grabs the back of Ryan’s head and pulls him into a kiss.

Ryan’s eyes close on instinct. Distantly in the background he hears Catlin screech “WHAT”. Adam’s fingers tangle in his hair. Ryan feels like he’s melting into a puddle. Adam has no right to kiss this good. They’re kissing around the back of Ryan’s seat, and it’s awkward, but so, so good.

Adam pulls away and Ryan chases after his lips like a puppy.

He’s not ashamed to admit he whines a little.

“That’s it! I’m out of here. I’ll just take the bus home.” Caitlin leaves, slamming the car door shut behind her.

“Oh god,” Ryan says. His lips are tingling and he unconsciously brings his hand to his mouth. “Fuck. I should. _Fuck._ ” Ryan bats at the handle for the door. He’s panicking, he knows that. His brain is scrambling, trying to make sense of the past couple of minutes. He needs to take a walk, to think, to slow down. He needs to squash the fluttering bit of hope in his chest.

Caleb grabs his arm and Ryan freezes, hand still on the handle.

“We like you, Ryan,” he says softly. “Please don’t run away.”

“We really, really, like you,” Adam adds. “We’d like you to join the two of us, if you want?”

Ryan doesn’t know what to say. “Wait, so you’re saying you like me. Like, like like me? _Me?_ ” 

“Yes, you,” Adam laughs. “Ryan Tran, do you want to be our boyfriend?”

“Fuck, yes.”

“Can I kiss you?” Caleb asks shyly. He looks at Ryan with those gorgeous green eyes and Ryan wants to give him everything in the world.

“Glad to know someone has manners in this relationship,” he quips and they all laugh. “Yeah, Caleb, you can kiss me.”

And he does.

It’s a little awkward, kissing over the center console, but with Caleb’s hands in his hair, and Adam’s hand on his shoulder, he’s never been happier.

**Author's Note:**

> If you noticed any tense changes or terrible typos please tell me and I'll fix them.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr @the-emerald7


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